Smyrna times., 1887-06-22
Fort Delaware.
SCENES AND INCIDENTS DURING WAR
DAYS.

A writer in Saturdays Camden COur-
Ter furnishes an interesting account of
Fort Delaware. After referring to the
law suit over the island, and its formal
presentation to the U. S. Government,
the writer says:
The building of the present fortifca-
ton was begun in 184S. The begin
ming of the war found it still unfinished.
Its completion, however was hastened
forward and shortly after the battle of
Bull Run, captured Confederate pris-
Oners first began to be sent hither.
Then commences its eventful later his
tory. Upon being taken, the prisoners
would be hurried to Philadelphia, with
all the dispatch possible, and from
thence the Major ReybOtd, a steamer
yet running between Philadelphia and
Salem, would transport them down the
river. A strange and varied lot were
these passengers sometimes. Some in
the flush of manhood and the flower of
the South, chatting at the fate which
imposed a restraint on their military
ardOr; others shot and shelltorn, des-
tined never again to return to their
native places, and others, STILL who
were old, gray haired men and weak
from long marches, i'll fitted to endure
either a soldiers or a prisoners life.
Bat every day the ReybOLd landed a
fresh contingent, until there were over
$1,000 gathered together around the
! fort and all over the island in long rows
of white tents. A small city, as it was
| guarded only by few hundred of Fed
eral sOldiery. Once there came rumors
of a great uprising, but the uprising
never occurred. Perhaps the leaders
! thought that the twenty-two-tOn guns
that frOuned down upon them from
Delaware's gold, gray walls would
| prove arguments to strong to be resist
| ed. Escapes in these times were few
/ in number, and those that were at
tempted were most ingeniously con-
ceived and perilOusly executed. One
fellow, while out bathing in the river,
ventured far out without attracting
particular notice and when ordered to
come back waved his hand in defiance
and boldly struck out for the opposite
shore. Escaping the leaden storm
that fell around his head he
swan the intervening two miles and
reached Delaware City, long enough
futile his escape. Another, it is related
feigned death and was placed, together
with several corpses, in the dead boat
for transportation to the cemetery, on
the Jersey shore. When the time for
burial came he proved to be an exceed
ingly lively " corpse" and took to his
heels for the woods in such a lively
fashion that he was gone almost before
the two guards detailed for the burial
duty had recovered from their aston
ishment. All the dead were carefully
examined after this startling incident
Stories have been told of the suffering
and privatiOn the prisoners endured
and the cruel treatment they received
Such tales, however, appeared to have
been founded largely on imagination
PrivatiOn and even suffering there
may have been, but not more than is
incident to every soldiers lot. In
comparison with the horrors of Ander-
sonville and Libby Prison, they might
be said to have been kept in comfort
or luxury. Still, sickness and disease
came, and three thousand of theil
number, now lying beneath the green
sod in the quiet cemetery across on the
Jersey shore at Finn's Point, mark its
ravages. In many home in the Sun
ny South to-day, doubtless the occu-
pants mourn the loss of a father OF
brother who was buried there during
wars dreadful turmoil. But except the
sad memories that yet linger it is all
over now